Chair bed



- J. D. BELL 2,287,596

CHAIR BED June 23, 1942.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 19, 1940 INVENTORT I June 23; 1942.

Filed Dec. 19, 1940 J. D. BELL CHAIR BED I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORTPatented June 23, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHAIR BED Joseph D.Bell, San Francisco, Calif. Application December 19, 1940 Serial No.370,756

12 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in chair beds, and moreparticularly in a socalled settee, and is a continuation in part of mypending application, Serial Number 361,059, filed on October 14, 1940.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a settee inthe nature of a relatively short sofa adapted for seating two persons,and to provide means in connection therewith whereby the same may beextended sidewise to provide a full-length couch or bed or a sofaadapted for seating three persons.

It is further proposed to provide a settee of r the character describedthat has arm rests on the sides thereof, and in which one of the armrests moves sidewise when the settee is converted into a couch or bed,whereby the spacing between the two arm rests is increased", and one ofthe arm rests is made to serve as a headpiece for the couch.

It is further proposed to provide a settee containing two principalparts, a frame having one arm rest attached thereto, and a movable seat,having the other arm rest attached thereto, the movable seat normallyfurnishing the entire seating area for the settee;

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby the seat;with the arm rest attached thereto, may" be moved sidewise on the frameto create a gap between the seat and the arm rest of the frame, and toprovide means for positioning an auxiliary seat in said gap'on' a ievelwith the main seat.

A still further object of the: invention is to provide an operativeconnection between the main seat and the auxiliary seat whereby thelatter is normally housed underneath the main seat, and is automaticallymoved into the plane of the main seat by the sidewise movement of thelatter.

And, finally it is proposed to provide an operating arrangement wherebythe change from settee to couch and vice versa, may be madeexpeditiously and witha minimum of effort.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear as thespecification proceeds, and the novel features thereof will be fully setforth in the claims hereto appended.

The preferred forms of my invention are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, forming partofthis application, in which:

Figure 1 shows a front view of my chair bed in an intermediate position,part being shown in section;

Figure 2, a front view of a modified form of chair bed, approachingcouch position;

Figure 2a a view corresponding to that of Figure 1, with the chair bedin fully extended position;

Figure 3, a front view of a further modified form in which one arm restis omitted, and in which the upper back and side structure is arrangedalong the lines ofa Ioungaand Figure 4 a view corresponding to that ofFigure I withthe chair bed in chair position.

While I have shown-only the preferredforms of my invention, I wish tohave it understood that various changes or modifications may be madewithin the scope of the claims hereto attached, without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and par ticularly to the form shownin Figures 1, 2a and 4 my chair bed I comprises three principal parts, aframe 2, a main seat 3, and an auxiliary seat 4. s

The mainframe comprises a rectangular box 5 including a rear member 6,two side members I and 8, and a front member 9. The box is preferablyseparated into two compartments wand ll by means of a partition l2, thecom partment Hi being intended for a bedding box and compartment H foraccommodating the auxiliary seat.

The rear wall it has a back l3" attached to the rear face thereof andthe back rises to the normal height of a sofa back. The side member8*hasan arm rest M- attached thereto.

The box, itself, is substantially level on top, and furnishes asupporting frame for the main seat. The latter is shown in Figure l intilted position, and is of a length corresponding to the length of thebox and of a width corresponding to the width of the box, so that innormal seat position, it rests on, and completely covers the box.

' The side of the main seat opposite the arm rest i4 is provided with aleg l5, which in normal position, projects downwardly alongside of andoutside the side member 1 of the box, suitable casters It being providedat the bottom of the leg and underneath the box.

The leg is secured by means of a bracket H and projects above the levelof the main seat to provide an armrest l8 which, in normal position, isarranged opposite the arm rest I4, and in parallel relation thereto.

The auxiliary seat ,4 is" hinged to the side of the main seat nearestthe arm rest [4, as at H,

'links inclined toward the right.

and is supported by means of two links and 2|. The former link ispivoted to an intermediate portion of the box, as at 22, and to abracket 23 depending from a central portion of the auxiliary seat, as at24. The link 2| is pivoted to the box at a point intermediate the pivot22, and the arm rest I4, as at 25, and to the side of the auxiliaryseat, as at 26.

These two links are positioned and proportioned to guide the auxiliaryseat for movement from an inverted position within the compartment llbelow the upper plane of the box, to a normal position above the planeof the box, and in alinement with the main seat 3. A suitable strap 2"!is attached to the hinged end of the main seat 3 to serve as a handlefor changing the chair bed from one position to another.

In normal or settee position, the auxiliary seat, which is slightlynarrower than the main seat, is accommodated upside down in thecompartment II, and rests on bottom slats 2B or any other suitablebottom support secured into the box. The main seat 3 rests on top of thebox, the hinged side adjacent the arm rest [4 and the arm rest I8opposite the former arm rest.

The entire device now has the appearance of an ordinary settee with armrests on opposite sides as shown in Figure 4. For changing the setteeinto a couch, the operator, preferably resting his right hand on the armrest l4, lifts on the strap 21 for raising the hinge. This causes thetwo sections to move through the position of Figure 1 into a position ofrelative alinement as in Figure 2a. The entire change may be effectedwith surprisingly little effort, since the different parts, after thedesired lifting effect has been made, fall into place almostautomatically.

Analyzing the movement, in settee position, the link 2|, as viewed inFigure 4, occupies a low slanting position to the left, while the link20 slants to the right and crosses link 2|. When the hinge I9 is pulledupward, the two pivots 24 and 26 are swung about one another forinverting the seat 4, with the result that the latter reaches ahorizontal position on top of the box with both The hinge I9 movesforward during the inverting operation and urges the main seat 3outwardly, whereby the latter is made to project outside of the box andto leave a gap between the main seat and the arm rest M, which gap isfilled by the auxiliary seat 4. Thus the two seats form a continuousseating area of the length of a couch, with the two arm rests spaced bythe length of the couch, and the arm rest I8 forming the head-piece forthe couch.

Referring particularly to the inverting movement beginning from theposition of Figure 4, it will be noted that during the first half of thesaid movement, the auxiliary seat turns essentially about its frontportion. While the axis of the turning movement shifts, of course, tosome extent, it is rather definitely identified with the front sectionof the auxiliary seat. This arrangement offers a number of advantages:

In the first place, there is very little downward movement of anyportion of the auxiliary seat, which allows the latter to be disposedrelatively close to the bottom plane of the settee, with the result thatthe main seat may also be arranged relatively low which is a muchdesired feature in modern sofa construction.

Secondly, since the turning movement takes place about the front portionof the auxiliary seat, the hinge l9 describes a relatively long are andcauses immediate movement of the main seat 3, which latter rolls outwardon the roller [6 incidental to the turning movement and thus gives acertain momentum to the latter after the movement has started. Thismomentum tends to smooth out the entire operation and serves as abalancing factor involving braking action, as well.

The specific arrangement of the links 20 and 2|, therefore, is ofconsiderable significance.

The form shown in Figure 2 differs from the one thus far described inthe fact that there is no operative connection between the two seats.The main frame 2 is constructed substantially similar to that of Figure1 and the main seat 3 is also substantially the same. But, instead ofbeing hinged to the auxiliary seat, it is disconnected altogether at itsright side, and is free to slide outwardly on the wall 7 of the box, theoutward movement being limited by a suitable stop 30 depending from theseat.

When the main seat is moved to the extreme outward position, there is agap between the seat and the arm rest M which corresponds in dimensionsto the size of the auxiliary seat 4. The latter, Which is normallyhoused under the main seat, may be lifted by a simple lever mechanism orany other suitable means to fill the gap and to occupy a position on alevel with the main seat.

The lever mechanism illustrated comprises two levers 3| and 32 havingtheir lower ends pivoted to the box, as at 33 and 34, while their upperends through cross-members 35 and 36 support the auxiliary seat, whichlatter is provided with a forwardly extending bracket 31 to giveadditional bearing surface. The two levers are interconnected by a link33, and are operated by means of a handle 39, pivoted to the box, as at40, and connected to one of the levers by means of a link 4|. The handle39 is preferably made in the form of a yoke straddling the auxiliaryseat, the links and levers being duplicated on opposite sides of the boxstructure.

In operation the two sections are manipulated independently. Normally,the auxiliary seat is disposed underneath the main seat and rests on anysuitable support, such as the slats 28. The main seat overlies theentire frame or box, and the two arm rests l4 and I 8 are on oppositesides of the box to form a settee with the remainder of the structure.

To change to a couch, the main seat 3 is pushed sidewise until the stop30 reaches the side wall H to form a gap between the main seat and thearm rest [4, whereupon the auxiliary seat is lifted into the gap bysuitable manipulation of the handle 39. It is apparent that any othersuitable means may be used for positioning the auxiliary seat in thegap, the important feature being that the sidewise movement of the mainseat opens up a gap for rendering available for use whatever supportingmeans for the auxiliary seat may be selected.

The showing of Figure 3 corresponds generally to that of Figure 1,except that the arm rest Ill has been omitted from the main seat and thesuper-structure is arranged more in the nature of a lounge, with ahead-piece 45 at one side and an arm rest 46 running along a portion ofthe rear of the box.

In this form, an extension 41 is hinged to the extreme left side of themain frame, as at 48, to provide for further extension, if such isdesired. The extension is furnished with folding legs 49 adapted forunfolding to support the extreme end of the extension after the latterhas been swung outward.

I claim:

1. In an extensible settee, a main frame having an arm rest attached toone of its sides, an upholstered main seat supported in the frame andhaving an arm rest attached thereto in paced and opposing relation tothe first arm rest, the seat being movable outward on the frame to aposition within its original plane so as to increase the space betweenthe arm rests and to produce a gap adjacent the frame arm rest, anupholstered auxiliary seat, and means for supporting the same in the gapon a level with the main seat.

2. In an extensible settee, a main frame having an arm rest attached toone of its sides, an extensible upholstered main seat having an arm restattached to one of its sides and extensible therewith, an upholsteredauxiliary seat housed in the main frame under the main seat, connectionsbetween the main frame, the auxiliary seat and the main seat by whichthe latter is extensible sideways and arm first to an extended positionwithin its original plane so as to increase the space between the twoarms and open a gap and whereby the auxiliary seat is made to move intothe said gap and into alinement with the main seat to form a bed.

3. In an extensible settee, a main frame having an arm rest attached toone of its sides, an extensible upholstered main seat having an arm restattached to one of its sides and extensible therewith, an upholsteredauxiliary seat housed in the main frame under the main seat, connectionsbetween the main frame, the auxiliary seat and the main seat by whichthe latter is extensible sideways and arm first to an extended positionwithin its original plane so as to increase the space between the twoarms and open a gap and whereby the auxiliary seat is moved into saidgap and into alinement with the main seat to form a bed, the arm on theextensible seat serving as a head piece therefor.

4. In an extensible settee, a main frame having a supporting meanswithin its body and an arm rest attached to one of its sides, anupholstered extensible seat having an arm rest attached to one of itssides and extensible therewith, connections by which the latter isextensible sideways and arm first to a position within its originalplane so as to increase the space between the two' arms to bed lengthand to open a gap, and to make available for use the said supportingmeans for Supporting a member within the gap and on a horizontal planewith the said seat.

5. In an extensible settee or the like, a main frame, an auxiliary seat,and means for supporting the latter bottom-up in the frame, the saidmeans comprising a rearwardly inclined link having one end pivoted tothe main frame near the bottom of the frame and forward of the frontedge of the seat and having its other end pivoted to the seatsubstantially above the bottom of the seat and midway of its length, anda forwardly inclined link having one end pivoted to the frame near thebottom of the same and substantially rearward of the first link andhaving its other end pivoted to the front portion of the seatsubstantially below the bottom plane thereof, whereby when the rear edgeof the seat is raised, the seat is turned toward vertical position withthe lower front portion of the seat serving as the axis of the turningmovement and without any substantial lowering of any portion of theseat.

6. In an extensible settee or the like, a main frame, an auxiliary seat,and means for supporting the latter bottom-up in the frame, the saidmeans comprising a rearwardly inclined link having one end pivoted tothe main frame near the bottom of the frame and forwardly of the frontedge of the seat, and having its other end pivoted to the seatsubstantially above the bottom of the seat and midway of its length, andguide means cooperable with the lower front portion of the seat wherebywhen the rear end of the seat is raised, the seat is turned towardvertical position with the lower front portion of the seat serving asthe axis of the turning movement and without any substantial lowering ofany portion of the seat. 1

T7. In an extensible settee or the like, a main frame, an auxiliaryseat, and means for supporting the latter bottom up in the frame, thesaid means comprising guide means co-operable with the seat at a pointabove the bottom thereof and midway of its length, and a forwardlyinclined link having its lower end pivoted to the main frame near thebottom of the frame and rearwardly of the center of the seat, and havingits upper end pivoted to the lower front portion of the seat and belowthe bottom thereof, the said link and the guide means being operablewhen the rear edge of the seat is raised, to turn the seat towardvertical position, with the lower front portion of the seat serving asthe axis of the turning movement, and without any substantial loweringof any portion of the seat.

8. In an extensible settee or the like, a main frame, an auxiliary seat,and means for supporting the latter bottom-up in the frame, the lattermeans comprising guide means cooperable with the seat at a point abovethe bottom of the seat and substantially midway of its length, and guidemeans cooperable with the front portion of the seat and at a point belowthe bottom thereof, the two guide means being operable, when the rearedge of the seat is raised, to turn the seat toward vertical position,with the lower front portion of the seat serving as the axis of theturning movement, and without any substantial lowering of any portion ofthe seat.

9. In an extensible settee, or the like, a main frame, a main seatresting thereon with freedom of movement over one edge of the frame andhaving a leg outside said edge, an auxiliary seat disposed horizontallyand bottom up underneath the main seat, a hinge connecting the two seatsat the rear ends thereof, and supporting means for the auxiliary seatoperable by a lifting effect on the hinge to swing the auxiliary seatabout a pivot passing through the lower front portion of the seat, thesupporting means including means for initially holding the pivot againstrearward movement whereby the auxiliary seat is made to swing forward toan elevated position and the main seat is caused to move outward on itsleg in substantially immediate response to the swinging movement of theauxiliary seat. 7

10. In an extensible settee or the like, a main frame, a main seatresting thereon with freedom of movement over one edge of the frame andhaving a leg outside said edge, an auxiliary seat disposed horizontallyand bottom-up underneath the main seat, a hinge connecting the two seatsat the rear ends thereof, and supporting means for the auxiliary seatoperable by a lifting effect on the hinge to swing the auxiliary seatabout the front portion thereof toward an elevated vertical and forwardposition and to cause the main seat to move outward on its legincidental to said movement, the said supporting means comprising guidemeans cooperable with the auxiliary seat at the front and below thebottom thereof, and positioned to initially prevent rearward movement ofthe front portion of the auxiliary seat, and guide means cooperable withan intermediate portion of the auxiliary seat and above the bottomthereof.

11. In an extensible settee or the like, a main frame, a main seatresting thereon with freedom of movement over one edge of the frame andhaving a leg outside said edge, an auxiliary seat disposed horizontallyand bottom-up underneath the main seat, a hinge connecting the two seatsat the rear ends thereof, and supporting means for the auxiliary seatoperable by a lifting effect on the hinge to swing the auxiliary seatabout the front portion thereof toward an elevated Vertical and forwardposition and to cause the main seat to move outward on its legincidental to said movement, the said supporting means comprising twolinks pivoted to the main frame in spaced relation and near the bottomthereof, one of said links being pivoted to'the front portion of theauxiliary seat below the bottom thereof and being positioned tosubstantially prevent rearward movement at the pivot, and the secondlink being pivoted to the auxiliary seat at an intermediate portion andabove the bottom thereof.

12. In an extensible settee or the like, a main frame, a main seatresting thereon with freedom of movement over one edge of the frame andhaving a leg outside said edge, an auxiliary seat disposed horizontallyand bottom-up underneath the main seat, a hinge connecting the two seatsat the rear ends thereof, and supporting means for the auxiliary seatoperable by a lifting effect on the hinge to swing the auxiliary seatabout the front portion thereof toward an elevated vertical and forwardposition, and including means to substantially prevent rearward movementof said front portion, the length of the main seat bearing relation toits height and the path followed by the hinge to cause the main seat tomove outward on its leg in a continuous movement when the hinge islifted.

JOSEPH D. BELL.

